Hitherto the difficulty of transit has been so great that we have only derived supplies of live stock from countries situated at a short distance, such as Holstein and Holland. Vast herds of cattle are fed with but little expense in America, and myriads of sheep are maintained cheaply in Australia; but the immense distances which intervene between our country and those remote and sparsely populated regions have, hitherto, prevented the superabundant supply of animal food produced therein from being available to the teeming population of the British Isles. Should, however, any cheap mode of conveying live stock, or even their flesh, from those and similarly circumstanced countries be devised, it might render the production of meat in Britain a far less profitable occupation than it is now. That we are increasing the area from whence we draw our supplies of live stock is evident from the fact, that within the last two years enormous numbers of horned stock have been imported from Spain. In that extensive country there are noble breeds of the ox; and it would appear that very large numbers of animals could be annually exported, without depriving the inhabitants of a due supply of bovine meat. As Spain is not very distant, it is likely that this traffic will be increased, and that in a short time we shall be as well supplied with Spanish beef as we are now provided with French flour. Meat is at present dear, and is likely to continue so for some time; but still it is evident that, sooner or later, the British feeders will come into keen competition with the foreign producer of meat, and that the price of their commodity will consequently fall. The mere probability of such a state of things, were there no other reason, should induce the feeder to devote increased attention to the improvement of his stock, and to discover more economical methods of feeding them. There is still much to be learned relative to the precise nutritive values of the various feeding stuffs. The proper modes of cooking, or otherwise preparing, food, are still to be satisfactorily determined; and there are many very important questions in relation to the breeding of stock yet unanswered.

It is but fair to admit that the farmer is earnestly endeavouring to improve his art, and that he is willing, nay anxious, to obtain the co-operation of scientific men, in order to increase his knowledge of the theory as well as the practice of his ancient calling. Indeed, he not only admits the utility of science in agriculture, but often places an undue degree of value upon the theories of the chemist, of the botanist, and of the geologist. This is encouraging to the men of science; but, on the other hand, they must admit that by far the greater portion of the sum of human knowledge has been derived from the experience and observation of men utterly unacquainted with science, in the ordinary signification of that term. This portion of our knowledge is also, in its practical application, the most valuable. In the most important branch of industry—agriculture—the labors of the purely scientific man have as yet borne but scant fruit; whilst the unaided efforts of the husbandman have reclaimed from sterility extensive tracts, and caused them to "blossom as the rose." That practical men should have done so much, and scientific men so little, for agriculture, may easily be explained. Countless millions of men, during many thousands of years, have incessantly been occupied in improving the processes of mechanical agriculture, which, as an art, has consequently been brought to a high degree of perfection: but scientific agriculture is a creation of almost our own time, and the number of its cultivators is, and always has been, very small; all its theories cannot, therefore, justly claim that degree of confidence which, as a rule, is only reposed in the opinions founded on the experience of practical workers in the field and in the feeding-house. Still, the farmer has derived a great amount of useful information from the chemist and physiologist; and they alone can explain to him the causes of the various phenomena which the different branches of his art present. There was a time when it was the fashion of the man of science to look down with contempt, from the lofty pedestal on which he placed himself, upon the lessons of practical experience read to him by the cultivator of the soil; whilst at the same time the farmer treated as foolish visionaries those who applied the teachings of science to the improvement of their art. But this time has happily passed away. The scientific man no longer despises the knowledge of the mere farmers, but turns to good account the information derivable from their experience; whilst the farmer, on the other side, has ceased to speak in contemptuous terms of mere "book learning." It is to this happy combination of the theorist with the practical man that the recent remarkable advance in agriculture is chiefly due; and to it we may confidently look for improvement in the economic production of meat and butter, and for the enlargement of our knowledge of the relative value of food substances.

STATEMENT OF THE NUMBER OF LIVE STOCK IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
Enumerated, 1866. Estimated, 1865.
Cattle. Sheep. Pigs. Cattle. Sheep. Pigs.
England 3,307,034 15,124,541 2,066,299 3,422,165 18,691,088 2,363,724
Wales 541,401 1,668,663 191,604 — — —
Islands 17,700 57,685 22,887 — — —
Scotland 937,411 5,255,077 219,716 974,437 5,683,168 146,354
Ireland 3,493,414 3,688,742 1,299,893 3,493,414 3,688,742 1,299,893
Total 8,316,960 25,794,708 3,800,399 7,890,016 28,062,998 3,809,971

STATEMENT OF THE POPULATION AND NUMBER OF LIVE STOCK IN THEUNITED KINGDOM AND VARIOUS FOREIGN COUNTRIES, ACCORDING TOTHE LATEST RETURNS.
Countries.Date of Returns
of Live Stock.		Population according
to Latest Returns.		Cattle.Sheep.Pigs.
Cows. Other Cattle. Total.
United Kingdom1865–6629,070,9323,286,3085,030,652 8,316,96025,795,708 3,802,399
Russia 1859–6374,139,394 ... ... 25,444,00045,130,80010,097,000
Denmark Proper 1861 1,662,734 756,834 361,940 1,118,774 1,751,950 300,928
Sleswig 1861 421,486 217,751 172,250 390,001 362,219 87,867
Holstein 1861 561,831 198,310 92,062 290,372 165,344 82,398
Sweden 1860 3,859,7281,112,944 803,714 1,916,658 1,644,156 457,981
Prussia 1862 18,491,2203,382,7032,251,797 5,634,50017,428,017 2,709,709
Hanover 1861 1,880,070 ... ... 949,179 2,211,927 554,056
Saxony 1861 2,225,240 411,563 226,897 638,460 371,986 270,462
Wurtemburg 1861 1,720,708 466,758 490,414 957,172 683,842 216,965
Grand Duchy
of Baden 		1861 1,429,199 348,418 273,068 621,486 177,322 307,198
" Hesse 1863 853,315 187,442 129,211 316,653 231,787 195,596
" Nassau 1864 468,311 116,421 84,224 200,645 152,584 65,979
" Mecklenb.
Schwerin 		1857 539,258 197,622 69,215 266,837 1,198,450 157,522
" Oldenburg 1852 279,637 ... ... 219,843 295,322 87,336
Holland 1864 3,618,459 943,214 390,673 1,333,887 930,136 294,636
Belgium 1856 4,529,461 ... ... 1,257,649 583,485 458,418
France 1862 37,386,3135,781,4658,415,89514,197,36033,281,592 5,246,403
Spain 1865 15,658,531 ... ... 2,904,59822,054,967 4,264,817
Austria 1863 36,267,6486,353,0867,904,03014,257,11616,964,236 8,151,608
Bavaria 1863 4,807,4401,530,6261,655,356 3,185,882 2,058,638 926,522
United States 1860 31,445,0808,728,8628,182,81316,911,47523,317,75632,555,267

NUMBERS OF THE LIVE STOCK IMPORTED INTO GREAT BRITAINDURING THE ELEVEN MONTHS ENDED 31st NOVEMBER, 1867.
Bullocks, bulls, and cows 150,518
Calves 20,720
Sheep and lambs 504,514
Pigs 45,566
————
721,318
AMOUNT OF ANIMAL FOOD IMPORTED DURING SAME PERIOD.
Bacon and hams cwts. 452,132
Salt beef " 163,638
Salt pork " 123,257
Butter " 1,000,095
Lard " 213,599
Cheese " 798,267
Eggs 373,042,000

I am indebted to Professor Ferguson, Chief of the Veterinary Department of the Irish Privy Council Office, for the following statement:—

RETURN OF HORNED CATTLE EXPORTED FROM THE SEVERAL IRISHPORTS AT WHICH VETERINARY INSPECTORS HAVE BEEN APPOINTED,AND CERTIFIED AS FREE FROM DISEASE, FROM THE 18th OFNOVEMBER, 1866, TO THE 16th OF NOVEMBER, 1867 (52 WEEKS).
Fat Stock 187,483
Store Stock 317,331
Breeding and Dairy Stock 36,599
————
Total 541,413
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